Sunday, October 7, 2012

The Washi Tape 4-1-1

What the Heck is Washi?
I myself am rather new to washi tape... and I often see ladies ask on boards and facebook groups what it is... So I thought I would write a post to indoctrinate all of the crafty girls out there who are interested in this new phenomenon.

Washi tape is a crafting tape that originated in Japan and is made out of rice paper, bamboo, hemp, and other natural fibers. It's usually translucent and comes in lots of lovely patterns. Now that it became popular, it comes in all kinds of variety. Some of its shiny, some of it looks like masking tape. People tend to call all of it "washi" the same way we refer to tissues as "Kleenex" no matter what brand it is. Sometimes you will see it listed as "Paper Tape" or "Crafting Tape".

What's the Average Cost?
You can buy rolls of washi from $3-4 dollars for approx 10 yards on a roll depending on the vendor, type, and quality. Also, there are also vendors out there that will sell samplers wrapped on spools or pencils. It is a little more expensive by the yard overall when you buy a sampler, but you can get lots of variety without hurting your pocket book and since its its very hard to use 10 yards of anything you may find that samplers are best for you. Anyway you look at it, as far as crafting supplies go its a pretty inexpensive habbit!

Where Can I Buy It?Here are some sites I like to frequent. There is a lot out there, so be sure to compare pricing and shipping costs to get the best bang for your buck!